149 joins ‘debendified’ routes

Boris Johnson promised to axe bendy buses in his 2008 manifestoBus route 149 this morning became the latest to have bendy buses removed in a move Transport for London say has allowed them to reduce operational costs by almost £1m.

The ‘debendification’ of the route follows the removal of the buses from routes 507, 521 and 38 and is part of an election pledge made by Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2008.

TfL suggest the removal of the rear-entry bendy buses could save “£550,000 a year” based on figures for route 38 which was converted last November.

In a statement Mayor Johnson said: : “These monoliths of the road were never appropriate for the narrow streets of London and I’m delighted we’ve now sent over 100 of them packing.

“Even better, the fare evaders who duck and dive their way around these hulking great monsters without fear of having to put their hand in their pocket are finding that on our replacement double deck buses there is nowhere to hide.”

Routes 507 and 521 were both converted to 12 metre single deck buses which retain rear door entry, TfL’s statement offered no figures on fare evasion for these routes.

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